Believe in Your Believing Heart
by Door Is Ajar
Summary: Collection of entries for Dianakko Week 2018
1. In Good Hands

Akko was desperate. The thudding sound of footsteps was growing closer by the second, and her heart beat so fervently within her chest that she thought she was suffering from a heart attack. Her hands trembled, and tears bit at the back of her eyes. From a single, stray branch jutting awkwardly out of the cavern wall, situated beneath the ledge atop which Akko sat, hung Diana.

"Diana!"

Akko was growing oh so desperate because Diana's face was a mess of blood dribbling from a cut near her hairline, over her eyelids and around her lips, and her eyes had already lost against exhaustion to remain open.

Their wands were broken, the wooden handles busted to bits and the metallic tips shattered like glass. Even when - when, not if - she managed pull Diana onto the ledge, she had no source of magic to heal her, and she had nothing even remotely resembling medical supplies to staunch the bleeding or alleviate the pain.

"Diana, _please,_ stay with me!"

Her voice was strained, thin and on the cusp of hysterics. She wasn't even sure if Diana were conscious at that point, but she wasn't willing to entertain that idea. Her nerves were already in disarray.

But a sharp gasp fled her lungs as Diana's eyes began curling open, fluttering against the flow of blood trailing the curves of her face. A glob of blood ran over her left eye, and Akko watched in horror as she moved to wipe it, leaving only one limb gripping the branch; but her hand was already coated in the same gooey substance, and she wiped her eyes clean with her shirt sleeve, instead.

"Diana! Push up, okay? I'll pull you up!"

She just needed a few more inches from Diana. That was it, and it would close the gap between them. But that meant Diana needed to find leverage, enough to stand herself a few inches taller. Her legs fumbled below her, kicking at air and finding nothing upon which she could rest - and Diana choked with a jarring realization that there was nothing but a black expanse under her. She dug her nails into the bark.

There was nothing beneath her, nothing at all for as far as her eyes could see. Her heart drummed heavy and thick in her ears, and for a moment the world went terribly, suffocatingly black.

"Diana!"

The cave came back to her in a jolt, and the air that invaded her lungs burned, piling down her throat at an alarming rate. She gagged, a rough, breathless sound, and something of iron ran past her lips.

"I know it hurts, but you gotta push up!"

Diana kicked, and finally, her foot make contact with something. She pushed up on it, and her muscles lit on fire. She shot her arm up, hoping Akko would grab hold of it herself because her vision was swimming far too quickly for her to attempt any semblance of accuracy.

Neither she nor Akko thought they would ever feel such relief from the feeling of blood squishing between their fingers, or from the biting sensation of Diana's arm potentially being ripped from its socket as Akko heaved her up.

But there was finally - _finally -_ something beneath Diana, something hard and solid and unmoving, and the world swam a little less viscerally.

As soon as the very tips of her toes were secured on top of the ledge, Diana found herself in Akko's arms, head buried under her chin and a hand greedily claiming purchase on her back.

"Oh my, God, _Diana_ ," Akko cried, tears of relief mingling with those of unwound worry and anxiety. "I'm so happy you're safe."

Warmth dripped from her tongue, and Diana melted in the embrace. She could hardly return the gesture over the lead in her bones, but she was more than content to be on the receiving end.

Her head lolled across Akko's shoulder, and a trembling sigh snaked its way past her lips.

"Ah... Akko..." Immediately, the girl in question quieted. "We need to go now, for...I may...ah..." Black dots flittered across her field of view, and if they stalled, her vision was bound to be overrun by them.

Her breathes were coming in clipped, heavy exhales and staggered inhales; and the sound alone tugged Akko's nerves into a tight bundle, clenching her heart uncomfortably.

"Diana...?" The name shook on Akko's tongue, and she tightened her hold on Diana.

"We must go," Diana breathed out.

Akko jerked back, hands going to Diana's shoulders to keep her in place. Diana missed the warmth as soon as it was gone.

"You _can't_. You're hurt, and-"

"Akko."

Her head felt heavy, and she let it fall forward, begging away the lightheadedness and the nausea churning in her stomach. Her forehead came to rest on Akko's chest. "Must I...remind you of the dragon." She didn't; the sound of its footsteps had yet to cease, echoing about the chamber and drawing all the more closer. "If we sit...sit here, we are as good as dead."

Diana swallowed thickly, and something warm and slimy lined her throat. She faintly recalled the iron taste and considered checking for blood - but her hands were already smeared with it; she wouldn't be able to tell what it was if she tried.

Akko pulled her back once more, and Diana blinked a few times, forcing the black dots to disperse. Tears prickled at the brunette's eyes because Diana was hurt, she was _hurt._ She was bloody and tired, and Akko could do nothing to help her.

"We'll move, okay? W-We will, but you're not doing _anything_. You're not walking, you're not... Diana, _nothing_ , okay?"

She rested her palm gently on Diana's cheek, directing her face towards her. With her other hand, she bunched up her baggy sleeve and padded the blood from her eyes and forehead. It was thick and smeared across her skin, leaving behind sickening trails of red. Diana's blue eyes sought contact with her own, but they swirled with panic and tears.

Akko swallowed down something that tasted bitter, something that made her stomach do flips; because the longer she stared at Diana, the more she realized she was hanging precariously close to the cusp of unconsciousness, and that was probably of what Diana had been trying to warn her.

The blond's eyebrows furrowed, and she choked down a sob as a flush of pain surged from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

Akko's heart fluttered restlessly along in her chest because she had never been this deafeningly scared before. Diana was a mess of blood and weary bones in her arms. She could hardly remain upright, and Akko didn't think that a person could look so thoroughly exhausted.

"Are you injured?"

She jolted; and in her momentary haze of shock, Diana leaned back into her, resting her head on Akko's shoulder.

"You protected me f-from the hit. P-Promise, Diana, I'm okay." Her voice was pulled taut.

A sliver of silence passed between them, long enough for two heavy, echoing steps to sound from some opening above them. Diana's head toppled lightly against Akko's, and she released a quivering breath that brushed lightly against the brunette witch's ear.

"I am relieved."

She spoke in a contented sigh, wispy and soft and a mere mumble into Akko's shoulder.

"But you're so _hurt_ , Diana." Her voice had risen an octave higher.

"And you'll get us out." Diana lifted her arms around Akko, settling into the embrace. She wanted to be closer, to bury herself in this warmth. It was satisfyingly numbing, and she could only vaguely feel her fingertips over the cold that permeated her body.

"I believe in you."

Something cold and heavy dropped in the pit of Akko's stomach. She clutched at the back of Diana's uniform, dissolving into tears and a blubbering mess of hiccups.

"Diana, you're so hurt." Akko felt like a child, whining and crying to her parents, but she couldn't help it. A deep-rooted terror had coiled within the pit of her stomach, and her nose was assaulted by the tang of blood filling the air and dousing her shoulder. Her friend was practically dead weight against her, and she was fearful that Diana's next breath wouldn't come, throat congesting closed with whatever was making that horrible gurgling sound.

"I will be all right, Akko." Diana paused to attempt to steady her breathing. Her head felt light, but next to Akko, jolting with sobs and other minute movements, she felt semi-grounded. "We'll get out."

Akko nodded, running a hand up and down her back. "W-We'll get out," she parroted. "I-I'll carry you - on my back."

She was greeted with silence.

The ground quaked beneath them, and Akko broke the embrace, prying Diana from her. Her hands clenched at the fabric of the uniform, and her nails bit lightly into skin.

"O-Okay, Diana?"

"...mmm..."

Her eyes weren't open. Akko wasn't certain whether she kept them closed to avoid the blood sliding once again over her eyelids, or because exhaustion compelled them shut against her own volition.

Akko fumbled to smear the blood away, hoping it was the former.

"Diana... H-Hey, Diana," she spoke, patting Diana's cheek, vigorously ignoring the extra weight the blood had added to her sleeve. "We need to move. You're still with me, r-right?"

And gradually, her eyes blinked open, blue pools weary and beaten. She released a heavy breath, but something had coagulated in her throat, stopping her from inhaling past a certain point.

"My back - I'll carry you," Akko repeated.

Akko adamantly refused to release one of Diana's hands, but she turned on her knees, offering her back to the blond. She linked one arm around her neck, and Diana brought the second up on her own. Once her hands were clasped, Akko tentatively let go.

"Can you put your legs through?" she asked, arms set at her waist.

Diana began fidgeting, boots scraping against the cavern floor. Akko grew nervous as the shuffling continued because maybe that was too much for Diana by that point - but one leg, then the other, finally slipped through her arms. Akko clasped her hands together, and Diana edged forward atop her hold.

"You okay?" Akko asked.

Around her neck, Diana's hands trembled; and she slumped against Akko's back.

"Do not worry, Akko," she replied. Her breath against Akko's ear sent a chill down her spine. The brunette forced down the tears biting at the back of her eyes and clenched her stomach against the nauseating flips it was doing.

"But are you okay?"

To her surprise, Diana let out a short, clipped laugh. And as Akko rose to her feet, grunting against the added weight, something else, something different and light sent Akko's stomach into a flurry - and she supposed it was because Diana - _Diana_ \- chose her next words to be a joke:

"Yes, I'm in... I'm in good hands."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I apologize in advanced for this first chapter. I lost a good chunk of it this morning while editing, so I scrambled at like 3 am to start rewriting it, haha, tons of fun. (Although, if I'm honest that's not totally sarcasm because I wound up changing a lot of things that I personally like a lot better). I hope you have enjoyed reading! :)


	2. In Good Hands (II)

"Do you know where you are going?"

Akko gave a nervous chuckle in response. "No, but it's away from the dragon, so I think it's a safe bet."

While Diana's breathing was rugged and smelled strongly of iron, it was a reassurance that Akko needed. She gave a little hop to hoist Diana more comfortably and securely on her back.

"I suppose that...is good enough." It was, by all means, their safest bet, and Diana would have been lying had she said she had a better idea.

"Well, you _are_ in good hands!" Akko commented cheekily.

She was granted a short, stammer of a laugh from Diana, and she relaxed against Akko.

"That I am."

The pair fell comfortably into silence, the only sounds filtering through the air being Akko's boots scraping against the cave flooring and the occasional call of an animal hiding out in some other chamber.

Akko's eyes traveled down to Diana's hands, wrapped lightly around her neck. They still trembled and were stained red, along with her right sleeve. The temporary reprieve yielded by their banter was certainly nerve-relaxing; but it was all too easy to catch a glimpse of how desperately Diana needed attention. It was impossible to ignore the sporadic stuttering of her exhales and how her legs would tighten around Akko's waist as a parcel of pain flared up.

Akko quickly diverted her attention to the ground. She didn't need to dwell on that now; she had something more pressing on which to focus: the _sanguinem spissamentum_ , as Diana had called it.

Of course, it was a lost cause if Diana expected her to repeat the name of the plant - but that was for what she was looking. It wasn't particularly good for such...extreme cases, as it may be, but it was better than nothing to staunch the blood flow from Diana's head wound. It had a short stem, growing low to the ground, with thin white petals that extended out and drooped under their own weight.

Akko knew there was more wrong than just some blood loss, but the second flower Diana had mentioned that could help, the light pink _aufero dolore_ , was a tad bit rarer to find; and without water, it tasted terribly bitter.

"Akko, do you need a break?" Diana asked.

Maybe it was some lingering effects of adrenaline, but Akko had yet to slow her pace.

"I'm good, Diana. Besides, we need to keep moving, and I'm _not_ just gonna leave you somewhere. I mean, I can't...even..."

Her eyes honed in on a small patch of white, curled up against the wall to her left beside an opening. Steps faltering, she came to a halt. The realization hit her in a jolt, and she gasped almost childishly.

"The flower! Diana, the san-! ...San... _sanguine_? No-"

" _Sanguinem spissamentum_ ," Diana supplied.

"That! Oh my gosh, we found it!"

"Yes, and if you would set me down-"

"Of course!"

Akko took a steadying breath, calming her sudden flourish of excitement. She refused to jar Diana, regardless of the elation flowing through her veins. Once Akko had lowered herself down to her knees, Diana slid herself off her back.

And despite the facade she had carried as she and Akko talked, Diana felt any remnants of energy wither into thin air, and she collapsed against the wall. Her eyes slid shut, a weary sigh escaping her lips.

"...Diana...?"

And like that, her eyes snapped back open, suddenly aware that she couldn't afford this luxury. Not now, not when there was a dragon still lurking within the expanse of this cave and certainly not when Akko was so clearly unhinged at her waning state.

"H-Hey, I know it's selfish, but please don't...don't..." Akko didn't know what she would do if Diana just conked out on her. The thought alone scared her.

But something gripped at Akko's hand, shushing her stuttering; and she looked down to find Diana squeezing it, fingers threading through her own - but she could only glance for a second. The sight of her hands dyed red managed to rile an uncomfortable sensation in her gut, one that whipped her insides into a nauseated jumble of distress.

"I apologize. The blood loss is just...a bit much." As were the aches littering her very bones and the exhaustion that tugged so demandingly at her already-lose hold on consciousness, but Diana would not voice such unnecessary details to the brunette.

Akko wasn't sure how to respond, and a bundle of nerves had returned, infesting her stomach with the fear she had previously felt evaporate at their casual banter. It was so much more than just blood loss. They both knew it; and even if Akko should have appreciated Diana's concealed words, they only manages to evoke more worry.

"What do I do?" Akko asked, shelving those thoughts.

Diana's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Surely all the girl needed to do was pick the flower; but clearly, time had deceived her. She had unknowingly shut her eyes for more than a mere second and missed a few things because within Akko's hand was a messy bouquet of flowers.

And she couldn't help but stall, as within the five or six white flowers sat a singular pink one, light enough that, under the guise of such darkness, it appeared white without a second careful glance.

"Akko, you found it," Diana mumbled out.

"H-Huh? Of course I did, what are you-"

"No, Akko, this one-" She reached into the bundle and tugged out the pink flower,"The _aufero dolore_ , you _found_ it."

"I did?!" she shouted, squinting at the petals; and her mouth abruptly curved up at the realization she was staring at a _pink_ flower, not another white one. "I did! Diana, what do I do?!" she repeated with renewed vigor.

"Ground the white ones into a paste," Diana instructed, taking a rather deep inhale before continuing. "A rock will do well enough."

Akko felt around the cavern floor for a decently-sized rock, and her fingers came into contact with one about the size of a ball of bubble gum.

"It might be easier to ground each..." Diana's voice tapered off, and Akko's face drained of color. She gave out a clipped sound, something between a sob and a grimace, and she clenched her hands. "...each petal while it's on the stem. Twirl the... The stem. Twirl it as your ground."

Akko set to work quickly, taking one of the _sanguinem spissamentum_ in her left hand and the rock in the right. She scraped the petal with the rock, as if it were an eraser, then spun the stem between her thumb and pointer finger to move along to the next petal. She repeated the process until all the petals had been ground into pulp.

"What now?" Akko questioned.

"Smear it across the cut. It will seal it shut."

Akko ignored the unnatural whine in Diana's voice, instead wiping up half the paste with two of her fingers. She leaned over Diana, grasping at her chin to dip her head forward, and she began running the paste across the open wound near her hairline.

"It's like a band-aid..." Akko whispered in awe, watching as the white pulp darkened into a dirty brown, but the blood stopped flowing almost instantly.

"Yes, although it will not last long... Thirty minutes if we are lucky," Diana interrupted. "Ground up the other one, Akko."

The brunette slipped the pink flower from Diana's hand and set to work once more; and when all the petals had been mushed, Akko was left with a foul-smelling paste.

"You have to eat this?" Akko asked, nose crinkled in disgust as she considered the absolutely appalling idea of having to put it in her mouth.

"Unfortunately."

Akko bunched the stems together and used one end to scoop up the pink paste.

She gave the quietest of laughs as she brought the pink mess to Diana's mouth. "Say, 'ahhh.'"

Despite her childish conduct, Diana obliged, mouth closing around the goopy mess. As Akko pulled the stems out and Diana was left with the paste on her tongue, her eyes widened in shock, and her lips pursed tightly. She forced herself to swallow, but the aftertaste left her face contorted in disgust. She began coughing furiously, desperately wishing for anything to wash away the horrid taste in her mouth. Akko, however, dissolved into a fit of laughter, giggles bouncing off the walls and echoing around them.

"Akko, I do not know what you find so humorous. That was utterly revolting."

"Your _face_ , Diana!" she explained, just as she released another bout of uncontrollable laughter.

"Yes, well, I believe we should continue on. While these two plants are fast-acting, they wear off just as quickly."

Akko quieted, slowly, as she registered upon the fact that Diana's voice didn't sound quiet as labored.

However, before she could voice that thought, something heavy pounded at the ground in the direction from which they had originally come. The noise reverberated against the low-hanging ceiling, and it sent both girls into a chilling silence. Another booming sound filtered through the cavern, and then a third. Everything fell silent as the echoes finally receded, and the pebbles at their feet stilled from their quivering. They waited, breathes held and lungs burning as they withheld oxygen. Akko's boot slid, sending both their hearts leaping into their throats.

But nothing came.

No pounding, no shaking - nothing.

Akko sighed, letting the tension seep from her bones. She turned to Diana, but she hadn't relaxed a bit, eyes fixated on the wall behind Akko.

And then it busted open, and a deafening roar thundered into their space.

"Diana!" Akko shouted, yanking at her hands and pulling the blond witch to her feet. She fumbled, struggling to find traction, struggling to make her legs work and hold up her own weight.

It was the dragon, neck stuck through the crater it had made in the wall; and she just caught a glimpse of it busting more of the rock away as Akko turned them past a corner. She tugged Diana along, hand gripping her wrist painfully so, feet pounding furiously in their escape.

"Laughing was a horrible idea! A horrible, _horrible_ idea!" Akko cried, and she turned right at a fork in the passageway. Her feet almost instantly slipped beneath her, and she tumbled to the ground in a heap, just as the dragon busted through another wall. Diana fumbled in her step as Akko collapsed, but she quickly doubled back, dragging the brunette back to her feet.

"Akko, come on!" she shouted, and another wall went down.

"Sorry, sorry!"

She scrambled to her feet and ran beside Diana. The dragon gave chase, the sound of its ferocious roar bellowing nearer as it smashed through walls and opened new passageways through which it could charge.

"Diana, this way!" Akko suddenly shouted, and she tugged them to the left.

She pulled them into a cavern with an unusually small opening, and they were forced to duck to enter; and as they rushed into it, the force of a wall being knocked down sent a spray of boulders and rocks their way. They halted their escape as dust clouded their vision and filled their lungs. They coughed haggardly into the crook of their arms.

But when the dust cleared and their hacking ceased, they found themselves trapped inside.

"Oh, no... _No, no, no_ \- I'm _so_ sorry, Dian-" Akko choked on her words as Diana collapsed to the floor in a heap on hands and knees. "Diana, what's wrong?!" Akko shouted, dropping to the floor beside her friend. "What happened? W-What about the plant?!"

She was greeted with heavy breathing, which did nothing to calm her racing heart. "Ex..." Diana began, but clamped her eyes shut. Her lungs burned for air, and her head was terribly heavy, far too heavy to support with her neck.

"Exertion... exertion and adrenaline...s-speed up the digestion...process tremendously," she explained.

"O-oh..." Akko mumbled, and her knees buckled, tumbling onto her butt. Diana wheezed beside her, and her forehead drooped to the ground. A boom sounded from the other side of their enclosure, but it was further away this time.

"D-Diana," Akko began, but the words died on her tongue. She choked back a sob, knowing that she would be unable to stop if she started. Instead, she turned to Diana, and, with a gentleness that was foreign to even herself, she collected Diana into her arms, tucking her head beneath her chin. The blond witch leaned into her, slumping as Akko encircled her in an embrace. "I know we need to move, b-but you need to rest, Diana," Akko explained.

Another boom, and a sliver of anxieties rolled off of Akko - although now they stayed off, as the sound had been much further away than the last. The walls around them barely trembled from the shock wave. They sat like that until they could no longer hear the shattering of walls and Diana's breathing had returned to something less nerve-wracking. Her exhales were haughty and heavy, and her inhales were clipped short. Akko didn't think something as simple as breathing would leave her so anxiety-ridden.

Long after Akko's legs had gone numb, Diana cleared her throat and spoke up. "We should...try searching for an escape."

Akko bit back the immediate desire to retaliate. She didn't want Diana to move. In all honesty, it frightened her. She shook violently in her hold, and the se...siem... _siempre_? Whatever it was called, the paste was wearing away, revealing a long, horizontal gash that still desired to bleed.

So she heaved a shaky sigh from her lips and complied. "You're right."

Diana pulled herself off the brunette, and Akko stumbled to her feet, the pinpricks of numbness playing with her legs. She then extended her hands towards Diana, who clutched them within her own.

"Just one moment, Akko," Diana spoke, grip tightening.

And...Akko's eyes softened. She squeezed Diana's hand back, although certainly for a different reason.

"Take your time, Diana."

It was...grounding, to see Diana like this. Not hurt and bloody and tired, no, _that_ was just terrifying, and her stomach still balled up into knots at every wheeze and every extra blink that Diana took to remain lucid. It was grounding to see her actually open herself up, to let Akko see, without fear of being exploited, that she wasn't okay.

"Akko, okay."

She pulled, and even as Diana staggered to her feet, she maintained the hold on her hand. She swallowed down a grimace as the blond's grip constricted to an agonizing degree. Diana was depending on her - and Diana didn't depend on _anyone_. Akko gave her a moment to catch her breath before drawing Diana along with her.

But Diana's vision swam, and Akko was barely more than a blur of brown and purple. The walls were closing in on her, and the hand wrapped around hers was the only thing grounding her. They came to a jarring halt, far too quickly to have even left the cavern; and there was a horrid heat that wafted into their enclosure. Diana blinked, but when nothing cleared, she brought her free hand up to her eyes and rubbed, almost vigorously as the heat began coiling more acutely around them.

When she reopened her eyes, they were staring directly into black, beady pupils and a maw with steam pooling out between its rows of teeth.

 _"Akko-!"_ Diana shouted, just as the dragon's mouth opened. She yanked Akko back with a yelp, crouching atop the girl as a blast for fire shot out behind Diana's back.

"I'm having a heart attack. Diana, a heart attack," Akko cried, heaving into Diana's chest. Her muscles tingled, as if a spring that needed desperately to be let undone - but she was frozen in shock, mutely clinging to Diana's clothes.

She peered up at Diana. One arm was wrapped around Akko, holding her in place, while the other was plastered against the wall for support. Akko needed to vomit, desperately. The cut had reopened on Diana's forehead, and a mess of drool lined her jaw as she struggled to pump air into her lungs, and it was so glaringly obvious that Diana had been pushed beyond the brink of exhaustion, beyond her body's limit, yet _she_ was the one sheltering Akko.

Her eyes widened because directly behind Diana's shoulder was the dragon's head, poking into their shelter.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh..."

There was no way to escape. Her legs had frozen stiff in place, and there was absolutely no way she could get Diana out. Akko was certain the only reason she remained standing was adrenaline alone.

"Akko, run."

And for a split second, Akko wanted to punch Diana.

"What?! No, I'm not!"

The heat was growing unbearable. The dragon was prepping for another stream of fire.

"Akko, I said run."

"Diana, I'm not leaving you!"

"I don't care what you want!"

Akko choked.

"Akko, you can get out." Diana drew an evening breath, pulling up the facade of the perfect Cavendish, the one whom Akko had known first, back when they were at each other's throats. "I cannot get out of here. If you have any brain cells in that thick skull of yours, you will _run_."

But Akko merely clenched her fists, unraveling every ounce of fear and changing it into anger. "Shut up! Shut _up_ , Diana! You're my friend, and _you_ must not have any brain cells left in your fat head if you think I would-" She cut herself off because the maw was opening, and the very beginnings of flames were shooting outward from the back of its throat. "Diana!" Akko shouted, pulling fretfully at the blond to move, but Diana bundled her to her chest, hunching over her. "Diana- _Diana!_ "

She yanked and tugged, but Diana wouldn't budge-

...

And the fire never came.

"...what..?" Akko mumbled.

She peeked her head above Diana's shoulder, but everything was...pink.

 _"Diana!"_

And Akko swiveled her attention to the back. She had never been so glad to see the two other members of Diana's team.

"Hannah! Barbara!"

They had themselves enclosed in another shield, and the dragon was no where to be seen. With a flick of their wands, both enclosures dispersed, and they rushed towards the pair.

"Oh my God!"

"Diana!"

"W-What happened to the dragon?" Akko questioned, surprised at how shaky her voice came out.

"Professor Ursula and Professor Finnerlan restrained it. They're-" Hannah began explaining, but Akko cut her off.

"Okay, okay, that's great, just - just help me, Diana needs down."

They each fretfully took a side, while Akko worked herself out of the hold. They sat her gently against the wall, and Akko balled up her shirt sleeve - the one not already colored a deep red - and wiped away the drool and blood on Diana's face.

"What happened..?" Barbara questioned, perhaps to herself, but Diana reacted, and her attention drifted up to her.

"A-Akko, is she... Is Akko safe?" Her eyes were glazed over, and one of them squinted shut as Akko ran her sleeve over her left eyelid.

"I'm safe, Diana, but you're...not."

"The professors will be here soon. They'll heal you right up, Diana," Hannah supplied, although the pair had already begun a healing spell of their own.

Diana rubbed at her eyes once more, compelling the haze to lift. The voices were fuzzy, but she could at least make out that her teammates had arrived. Her vision, on the other hand, was completely muddled. It cleared just enough, and she was met face-to-face with Akko, tears dribbling down her cheeks as she worked her sleeve around her face, clearing away grime.

"A-Akko, why are you-" She was cut off as Akko collided with her, wrapping her in her arms and drawing her closer, unable to control the childish desire to smother Diana in a hug.

"Dianaaaaaa..." she bawled, "I'm never letting go of you." She smushed her face against Diana's, and a bundle of giggles fled from her lips as Diana set a hand on the top of her head.

"I feel that may be...a bit excessive." Her lips curved up into a faint smile. She hoped Akko wouldn't freak out because her control on consciousness was slipping.

"I don't care, and if you _ever_ tell me something as stupid as to leave you behind again-"

 _"She told you that?!"_ Barbara shouted, closing in closer to the pair.

"She's stupid, right?" Akko asked.

"I hate to say it, but, Diana, that's really dumb," Hannah replied.

The three laughed, lightly, just as the sound of boots reached their ears.

"Do not be alarmed, but...I think I will take a short nap..." Diana mumbled.

"What? Diana, wait - the professors-"

"Akko, I think it's okay," Hannah spoke, and she released her spell, placing her hand atop Akko's shoulder in an odd display of comfort. Akko relaxed under the touch, surprised by Hannah's kindness, but she turned her attention back to Diana as the blond let out a sigh, presumably as the last remnants of consciousness slipped away.

"Don't worry, Diana." She leaned back against the wall, her own exhaustion creeping up to her. "You're in good hands."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Funny Story: I had no intention of continuing with the idea from chapter 1; but I got a comment yesterday about a cliffhanger, and all I could think was "oh no." I hadn't clarified that I had no plans to continue - but I also had no intention of breaking the news, that, "hey, sorry, but that's it!" So...naturally I sat myself down and churned out this second bit. Oh, gosh, it was tons of fun, but now I'm having to change around my other days, and one of my ideas is being pushed out of this week. It will be published eventually - just not now, lmbo.

I apologize for errors because I haven't had extensive time to proofread, but over the next few days I will definitely be rereading it and fixing up odd parts. And this is the final part; tomorrow will be a completely unrelated chapter.

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed! :)

Here are the translations to the flowers:  
sanguinem spissamentum - blood stopper  
aufero dolore - pain remover (or remover of pain)


	3. Comfy

"Akko... Akko, don't leave me hangin' here."

"Huh...?"

There was drool across her chin, and her neck felt terribly sore. That was when she realizes there was nothing but a hard wood floor beneath her.

"Move Diana to her own bed."

"What? Amanda, why?" she questioned, and the heels of her palms instantly began rubbing at her eyes, rather perturbed at being awoken. Despite the aches slowly encroaching upon her body from her poor choice of sleeping arrangements, she found the idea of getting up and moving far more taxing than the horrid crick in her neck and the tingling sensation traveling the length of her legs.

"I'm gonna put Constanze on this bed."

Which made no sense - she could very well just leave Diana on whatever bed she fell asleep and place Constanze in Diana's bed. Problem solved. There was no need to wake her up. None what-so-ever, she decided, just as her eyes had begun to slip shut and her left leg fell numb to the pin-pricks of discomfort.

"Can you wake up a bit faster, Akko? Cons may be small, but she's still heavy."

"Amandaaaaaaa..." she whined but sat up, squinting at the American witch - although whether in unfiltered annoyance or because of the remnants of sleep still tugging at her consciousness, she wasn't sure.

Amanda held Constanze in her arms; and in any other scenario, it would have riled laughter out of Akko - but for now, she merely furrowed her brows in confusion and discontent. Her attention flickered over to the bed closer to them (Hannah's, if she remembered correctly) to find that Jasminka had fallen asleep atop it rather normally, although her body was angled awkwardly away from the center. At the foot of the bed, Diana lied asleep, one arm dangling over the side and fingers curled above a hand of forgotten playing cards. Her other arm lied trapped beneath her head in a makeshift pillow.

It clicked into place, slowly, that Amanda planned to attempt to cram the entire Green Team onto that bed. (Plus, Akko vaguely noted, it was probably best she herself didn't sleep on the floor.)

"Akko, I know you just woke up, but can you try to act a little less brain dead than usual?"

She gave a groan in response and hefted herself up to her feet. Something popped in her back, and her left leg felt utterly nonexistent; as a result, her gait was loud and uneven as she stepped around to Hannah's bed. Despite the immense desire for sleep weighing greedily on her eyelids, Akko stalled.

She had never seen Diana asleep before.

It was...bizarre.

To say the least, that is.

"Yea, yea, it's really weird to see Cavendish sleeping and all - Who knew she did that, right? - but my arms are burnin' here."

"Y-yea, sorry, Amanda," Akko apologized, if only because she couldn't manage a better response. She certainly couldn't deny it, that was for sure.

Akko placed her hand on Diana's shoulder and shook, bending down closer to her face.

"Diana, wake up," she whispered.

The blond witch gave a moan of displeasure, and she buried her face in her arm. Her fingers twitched atop the cards on the floor.

A snort escaped Akko. "Dianaaaaaa~" she sing-songed. She reached to the floor for Diana's hand and tugged lightly. "Get uuuuuuuuuup~"

Diana's fingers curled around her hand as sleep loosed its grip, and she turned her head to face the source of annoyance, although what good that did with her eyes still closed, Akko couldn't guess. "Akko, I do not know..." she trailed off as she stifled a yawn. Diana - _yawning_. That was certainly new. Amanda gave a short, stuttered laugh. "...what you have done, but I wish for you to cease your pestering."

Amanda whistled through her teeth. "So it's _natural_ that she speaks that way?"

"Diana, you need to move," Akko explained, shaking her awake once more. "We're going to your bed."

"...my bed...?" Diana parroted, finally sliding her eyes open.

"You fell asleep on Hannah's. Come on."

It surprised both Amanda and Akko just how delayed Diana's response was. This wasn't how they were used to seeing Diana, her prim and proper and perfect persona seemingly evaporated into nothing, leaving behind but a tired girl with a sleep-muddled mind. It was...endearing, to see that underneath her rigid, mature exterior, she was no different than any of them.

Diana slipped off the bed with a little less grace than expected, and Akko pulled her to her feet.

"Geez, Diana, I think you're worse than waking up Akko," Amanda breathed as she settled herself and Cons at the foot of the bed. By the way she was trying to position Constanze to not have feet directly in her face, Akko though Amanda would have laid both of them right up next to Jasminka if her body hadn't been angled so steeply.

"Mmm... What time..?" Diana questioned, half-dazed and dreary as sleep compelled her back, even as she stood on her feet.

Akko giggled in response, just as she began pulling her along behind the bookshelf. "Sometime after midnight, at least. You fell asleep around eleven."

It had been rather amusing, watching any semblance of coherence be stripped from the oh-so-poised Cavendish. She was accustomed to staying up late to study, but it was another thing entirely to maintain cognitive while in such a relaxed setting. A few of them had settled around Hannah's bed to play cards; and even over the ruckus of Akko and Amanda shouting ("I _said_ Uno, you just weren't listening!") the girls began dropping off one by one. Diana had been the last, aside from the two bickering witches, of course. They weren't aware she, too, had fallen asleep until her turn came around and her cards were face up on floor, forgotten, something of a light snore draining from her lips.

"Akko, you take the bed. I will..." Diana hid another yawn behind her palm, eyes squinting shut in the effort. "I will make due with the floor."

"What? No way, come on," Akko insisted and tugged more fervently on her hand to follow along.

Diana complied, if only because she was still far from completely coherent. Akko dropped her hold on Diana's hand once they reached her bed to pull back the covers, and she spread out the pillows across the top to accommodate the both of them.

She hopped in first, sliding onto the far side of the bed; and Diana sluggishly followed, slipping lightly under the covers.

"How was your first sleepover?" Akko asked, voice but a whisper. She tugged at the blanket, pulling it up to Diana's chest.

"...I did not dislike it," Diana replied.

Akko smacked the covers in frustration and moaned, although mindful of the other seven sleeping witches in the room. "That's it? _'I did not dislike it'_?" She had attempted to mock Diana's nonchalant tone, but Diana merely hummed in response, turning on her side away from Akko.

"Hey!" Akko yelped, and she flipped Diana onto her back. Despite Akko peering down at the blond witch, Diana remained utterly unresponsive, eyes shut as sleep tugged lethargically at her mind and her hands sluggishly pawed at the covers for adjustments over Akko's invasion of her personal space.

"Akko, what is it that you want from me?" Perhaps she would have appeared more intimidating had her voice not sounded so childishly congested by sleep and twinged - just slightly - by annoyance.

"What I _want_ is to know what you thought of your first sleepover," Akko reiterated.

The brunette was surprised when Diana's eyes peeled open, although her attention was directed down at the covers. She released sigh. "I do not know why you insist, but..." She was staring a hold in her left hand, which was still needlessly fingering the covers. "I did not realize that such frivolous...activities could be so enjoyable."

Considering it was, well, _Akko_ , Diana expected a response - an immediate one, as it seemed that she voiced her thoughts the moment they popped into her head. But she was greeted by nothing but silence, and she forced her attention onto Akko, who-

...

...

Diana would have groaned, had that been in her character.

It, however, most certainly was not, so she leveled a glare at Akko, instead.

The young witch had a smug grin plastered on her face, and it was rather trying to maintain such a disgruntled expression towards Akko.

"So you had fun?"

The facade slipped off, rather unconsciously, and the beginnings of a smile tugged at Diana's lips.

"I suppose so."

"Dianaaaaaa~" Akko flopped across Diana's stomach, and she emitted an elongated groan. "Why can't you just come out and say it?" Her face was scrunched in vexation, but it dropped immediately to one of surprise as Diana laid a hand on her back.

She carried her eyes to meet Diana's own, but they were shut, surely as sleep compelled her back to slumber.

"Thank you, Akko. I did have fun."

* * *

When Akko woke in the morning, it was to the sound of snickering. She could only groan as a particularly annoying American witch talked - unnaturally _loudly_ \- to the others in the room.

 _"Diana is still asleep!"_

 _"Exactly, so you should talk more quietly, Amanda!"_

That sounded like Hannah, and even Akko could point out the hypocrisy of that statement.

 _"Akko's a monster cuddler, too!"_

 _"You say that as if we don't all know that already."_ Sucy. Just like her to be so deadpan about it.

But Akko rubbed the final vestiges of sleep from her eyes as she peered down, finally noticing she fell asleep atop Diana just as she had landed.

She snickered herself at the blond witch. Diana looked so... so utterly unrefined. The covers had been shuffled throughout the night, and her legs were exposed, a rather fitful thing, at that, one curled at the knee while the other was spread across to the bottom corner of the bed. It was certainly not a picture of the refined Cavendish that Akko saw during the day.

 _"Amanda, put that down!"_

 _"Don't you dare!"_ Barbara, accompanying Hannah in some barrage against Amanda.

There was a pause, then the sound of water splashing and a shrill yell.

 _"Not on me!"_

 _"Yeah, not on Hannah!"_

 _"Wow, you guys are just a ton of fun, aren't you?"_

Akko laid her head back down as the others quieted, content to stay right where she was until Diana woke.

But Diana _was_ rather comfortable, so Akko couldn't be blamed if she wound up _back_ asleep, trapping the blond witch beneath her.

Most certainly could not be blamed. It was Diana's fault for being so comfy. She could blame herself when she woke up.

So when sleep weighed down Akko's eyelids, she let them fall closed.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This is a mighty different tone than the last two chapters, but it was fun to write, haha. I may expand on this idea in the future; but for now, it is complete! I hope you have enjoyed reading! :)


	4. You Inspire Me

_"Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaase,_ Diana?"

The blond witch heaved a sigh and rested the book she had been reading atop her desk. She turned in her seat towards Akko, who sat on the edge of her bed, feet swinging off the side.

"Akko, I would honestly love to, but I simply do not have time, neither to partake nor aid in this show of yours. I wish you the best of luck. I'm sure you can find other participants."

Akko visibly deflated at Diana's words, and her confidence shrunk. Most of the arguments she had prepared died on her tongue, but she managed to mutter one out beyond a pout, if to accomplish nothing more than prolong the conversation.

"But Diana, I wanted _you_ to help..."

She didn't expect Diana to be surprised by the comment. Confused, sure. Maybe even take the statement in stride - after all, this _was_ Diana; everyone relied on her, so why not Akko, as well, for her little show? But certainly not surprised. She brought a hand up to her chin, and her expression was unreadable, eyes cast to the ground.

"You want... my help?"

"Yeah!" The response was instantaneous.

"Why?"

Akko cocked her head sideways, eyebrows knitting together. "Why wouldn't I? I want all my friends to be a part of this! And I really wanted you to be in the show _with_ me!" With a chuckle, Akko brought her right hand to the back of her neck, rubbing lightly, a nervous tick she had developed.

"You want me to be in your show?"

Akko halted, suddenly uncertain how she felt about Diana's tone. There was something she couldn't quite place about it, something... vaguely like skepticism. Which made no sense. She and Diana were best friends, of _course_ she would want to put on a show with her.

"Uh, yea?"

"Akko, this performance is for you. It should not give people another excuse to compare us, and I certainly do not wish to steal this from you."

That was from where Diana was coming. The consensus around Luna Nova for the better part of Akko's first year was that she was the dunce, while Diana was the pride and joy of the school; and it was simply not acceptable to compare two so vastly different individuals - but that was also simply not an acceptable rebuttal to Akko's desire.

"Diana, do you know what's so special about the date of the show?"

The blond witch hesitated, rolling the dates around in her head. She tapped at her chin, eyebrows furrowing. An important date? Surely something of genuine importance wouldn't slip her mind. "I'm afraid I do not know." And maybe she should have thought harder or a little longer because Akko's face dropped. She tried to keep it discrete, but who was she kidding, it was far too easy to see the flashes of emotions across Akko's face. She was a walking bag of emotions, and she slipped so seamlessly - so unconsciously - from one to the next.

"Well... It'll be one year since we took down the missile together. I kinda wanted to do something to commemorate that and-"

"One moment, Akko. You mean to tell me the show is _this_ month?"

Akko stalled, confusion now enwrapping her features. "What? Yeah, I mean, there's nothing important about next month."

"That gives you a mere week to prepare, you do realize."

"Hey, I've done some stuff already!"

There was a beat of silence before Diana replied.

"You truly wish for me to be a part of this show?"

Akko jumped to her feet, collecting Diana's hands within her own, her excitement getting the best of her. "Of course!"

And because Diana was the opposite of Akko, a prison guard to her emotions, trapping them beneath the surface before they could alter anything on the exterior, it was strange to see her face soften, and she silently slipped her hands from Akko's.

"Diana...?"

She fished around her desk for her planner, flipping to the date in question. "I will have to push my studying for Magic Linguistics up a day, and my meeting with Aunt Daryl must... No, I will have to re-plan it entirely..."

Akko realized - after mentally questioning _what_ linguistics test they had - that Diana wasn't talking to her. She was mumbling to herself, scribbling neatly in her planner, rearranging plans and writing notes to _plan_ those new plans.

"Sooo... You'll do it, Diana?" Akko asked, and her excitement was barely containable. She practically vibrated where she sat.

Diana stalled a moment. If she were honest with herself, truthfully and brutally honest, she would love to. She certainly couldn't kid herself; a few months ago she wouldn't have dropped her plans so frivolously, and it was all Akko's fault that schooling had, just maybe, taken a back seat to such social endeavors.

...That was not to say it was necessarily a _bad_ thing.

It was merely... different. She was accustomed to her rigorous schedule of studying and classes with the occasional sentry duty and tutoring session. She was not, however, accustomed to this... spontaneity that came with Akko and the others. Diana had skimped out on personal study time on numerous occasions because of a certain brunette who liked to grasp at her wrist and drag her along - regardless of her excuses and demands to be released - to partake in whatever their group of nine decided upon. From picnics, to joy rids on their brooms, to - dare she admit - raiding the kitchen after curfew, it didn't matter because Akko wanted her there.

And it felt... nice to be wanted. To have Akko's hand gripped within her own, pulling her along excitedly - excited for Diana to _be there_. To have a smile directed at her because the brunette was just glad for Diana's presence, nothing more and nothing less.

Diana sighed, drowning out the buzz of her thoughts. She turned in her seat to face Akko, a smile tracing her lips. "When shall we start preparing, then?"

She shouldn't have expected anything less than Akko jumping from the bed and capturing her in the tightest hug she could muster.

* * *

Diana initially was hesitant to contribute in fear of outright taking over. However, that lasted a full twenty-four hours, after which Akko found herself bombarded by questions from her partner.

 _Do you know which spells you plan to use?_

 _Do you know the order in which you are going to use those spells?_

 _Have you gotten permission from the Headmistress regarding the time?_

 _Do you have an outfit picked out?_

 _Do you need one made?_

 _When should we designate practice time?_

These should have all been indications that, despite Diana's initial desire to let Akko take charge, her perfectionist tendencies were slowly unraveling themselves.

She had asked Headmistress Holbrook if their choices of time and place would be acceptable and then gone through the liberty of requesting the Green Team to make posters to hang about the school. She personally visited the field auditorium with Hannah and Barbara, and the three mopped the stage spotless, checking for splints in the wood that could exacerbate Akko's already-prone tendency to clumsiness. Lotte and Sucy had made a few props prior to Diana's inclusion, and she requested them to be brought out for inspection and proper placement. She visited with Professor Ursula, questioning the idea of a Shiny Rod replica, molded to the outside of Akko's wand. Of course, Akko was overjoyed at the idea, but that left Diana with a new quandary: How would they make such a prop? She left that to Constanze at Akko's suggestion. Then there was the issue of a costume, and Akko demanded they wear matching outfits - although Diana was repulsed at the idea of wearing Akko's design of choice: Shiny Chariot's costume. But this was Akko's show - this was what she wanted - so who was Diana to deny her of that? She consulted with Jasminka and Lotte, the two girls who she deduced might have the most expertise in sewing, to make such outfits.

Three days passed before Akko realized that Diana had invested way too much of her time into preparing for the show. She slipped into the Blue Team's room, but the only light came from behind Diana's bookshelf. It was dim but warm, and as she tip-toed across the room and peered into Diana's secluded space, she found the source to be a single candle.

"Diana!" Akko called, twirling about behind the blond witch, who sat hunched over her desk.

"Akko, a moment, if you will," Diana curly replied, eyes never leaving the papers scattered about her desk.

Akko let curiosity guide her as she granted Diana her silence, and she peered over the girl's shoulder to view the (very uncharacteristic) mess she had spread across the wooden surface. A few textbooks sat open, and Diana wrote on a sheet of paper that she had simply titled "Spells for Akko." A list ran down the page, accompanied with descriptions and their incantations and with what other spells it would be best to pair each one. Multiple ones were, however, crossed off, with little notes of explanation scribbled to the side:

 _"Too advanced."_

 _"Injury."_

 _"Too similar to numbers 5 and 8."_

"Oh, how is the costume coming along, Akko?"

"H-Huh?" Akko stuttered out, jumping from her peeping at the sound of Diana's voice. She had turned around in her seat, focused now on the brunette, who donned her Shiny Chariot outfit, or, at least, what had been completed so far.

"Is there a problem with your costume?"

"Oh, nope! I just wanted you to see it!" Akko exclaimed, and she posed, shooting her right arm out, just like Shiny Chariot, and she held within her grasp the Shiny Rod replica. "Constanze is almost finished with the replica! We just need to test that it won't get in the way when my wand actually fires."

And then she began twirling, cape fluttering around her and boots clicking against the floor. "Oh my gosh, this is going to be so _amazing!_ " She was a giddy mess, and laughter pooled from her mouth. She gripped at the brim of her hat, trying to rein in her over-abundance of excitement.

"Akko, can you take off your cape for a moment?" Diana suddenly asked.

"Uh, sure?"

She un-clipped the lock across her chest and set the material across the back of Diana's chair, just as the blond witch made to stand.

She knelt behind Akko and suddenly tugged down the skirt. The material had merely bunched up; it had appeared to be sewn awkwardly, but that was not the case. It hadn't been an error on either Lotte or Jasminka's part.

"Jasminka says the belt needs to be taken down a few sizes, and the waistband needs to be a bit smaller, too. I had it tucked in kinda weird 'cause otherwise it likes to fall down," Akko explained, twisting her neck to peer back at Diana.

Diana gave a light hum in response, continuing her inspection. Jasminka was right, though. While the belt on the original design did appear baggy, this one practically dangled off Akko, and the skirt now hung loosely on her hips

"Hey, Diana?"

"Mmm, yes, Akko?"

"...Why are you doing all this?"

Diana tugged at a knot on the skirt. Jasminka would need to remove the excess cloth here before sizing down the waistband.

"I do not understand. I thought you wanted me to help."

"I did, but you're doing everything, Diana!"

"This is part of your dream, is it not?"

The question caught Akko off guard. "What? Yeah."

"That alone is enough of a reason."

"But you're literally doing _everything_ , Diana! This is just for a handful of students."

"This will be performed in front of more than just a handful of students. Headmaster Holbrook is allowing elementary kids from Blytonbury to take their field trip here, and supposedly some middle schoolers are coming, as well, many of whom may be interested in attending Luna Nova in the future."

"That's not the point..." Akko huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "I don't get why you're going to such extremes. You've checked the stage, like, three times, and you constantly monitor progress on the costumes and the props and the replica. You hung up the posters Amanda made, and you're making a list of spells that I can do. I mean, I'm _super_ appreciative of everything you've done. But it's just..." Akko hesitated, poking her pointer fingers into one another. "so much for a little show."

"This is by far a little show, Akko, and you are busy with learning the spells and creating the choreography. You cannot be expected to do such menial tasks while you have those more important factors to consider."

At Diana's unfulfilling response, Akko whined, as if a hot balloon releasing steam. She felt ready to burst in frustration. That still wasn't a good enough explanation, not for the amount of work Diana had put into this.

But Diana released a resigned sigh, mussing her hair as she rose to her feet. "This is important to you, correct?"

Akko turned on her heels, slowly, eyes meeting Diana's own. "Of course."

"Then it is important to me. I wish to see you succeed." Akko caught herself from blurting out. Something told her Diana wasn't quite finished. "Akko, this is something you want." It was strange, for Diana at least, to be expressing ideas of wants. She was prone to let her wants sit on the back-burner in exchange for countless other favors and necessities. She didn't have time for wants - but she would guarantee that this one would be fulfilled. "People need to see your magic. It deserves an audience. Your magic, and more importantly, you, Akko, will captivate the hearts of everyone in that audience.

"This is important to you, and that is plenty enough of a reason for it to be important to me."

* * *

The smile had yet to leave Ako's face, from the moment the first spell was cast, illuminating the skies in bright pinks and purples, to her exit behind the stage. It only grew as a group of kids rushed up to her, voicing general shouts of excitement and questions similar to the very ones she had as a child.

As Akko bent down, taking the hands of the two closest kids, Diana took a few steps back. She snapped her wand closed and set it into her belt, but her attention remained on Akko. She was naturally loving and energetic, and children were drawn to her. The fact that she could perform such mesmerizing displays of magic only amplified that. Diana, however, could never see herself in that position, one where kids so easily and flippantly talked to her or yanked on her sleeve for attention. She would never be comfortable enough to draw laughter from them or feel capable of squishing their chubby cheeks in adoration.

She was pulled from her thoughts as her cape was tugged. She found herself stunned at a young girl, who stared up at her as if she hung the very stars in the sky. (But, she momentarily mused, that would be Akko, not her, who had quite literally returned stars to the night sky.)

"Hello."

And immediately Diana felt her face grow warm. This was a child; there was no need to be formal and certainly no need to strain her voice so thinly. So she lowered herself down onto her knees, and the girl drew nearer.

"What's your name?" And then she copied what she watched Akko do just moments beforehand, reaching out and holding the child's hands within her own.

"May!" She jumped up and down, rolling back on the balls of her feet. "You're so cool!"

At the shout, Akko's attention darted above the heads of the kids surrounding her, over to where Diana sat with the one girl. And despite the tugging and pulling and shouting of the crowd of children around her, she remained fixated on Diana.

May's face flushed a deep red, clearly embarrassed at her outburst; but Diana merely chuckled, squeezing her hands gently. She gave the girl the most sincere, light-hearted smile Akko had ever seen, and the brunette felt her heart skip a beat. The children around her dissolved into background noise.

She had never seen Diana like this, whatever _this_ was. It melted her heart; it made her truly believe this was the real Diana, not the stuck-up snob to whom she had first been introduced when she had first come to Luna Nova.

"Thank you so much, May. Do you want to be a witch when you're older?"

The sparkle that appeared in her eyes could rival that of Akko's. "Yes! How do you do magic?"

Diana fell silent, and her grip on May's hands unconsciously tightened. She began speaking, although hesitantly. "It wasn't until a year ago that I began to see magic in a different light - the way you saw it tonight. I was under the impression that magic had a... a concrete purpose and was not to be used so frivolously, certainly not for entertainment. So this kind of magic, what I was able to do earlier... I am able to perform like this because of Akko." Her next words came out in a hush, almost as if she were not truly speaking to the child any longer. "She inspired me."

Akko jolted because Diana was talking as if... she were elsewhere, as if she were pulling something from the depths of her mind, something she hadn't let herself admit out loud.

"Her magic is wonderful and truly breathtaking. I had believed using magic for entertainment purposes tarnished the name of witches and made a mockery of the art. But Akko made me realize how wrong I was. Magic... Magic in this form is inspiring, _Akko_ is inspiring and-"

She stopped as the child leaned forward, and she wiped her tiny palm across Diana's cheek.

"Miss Diana, why are you crying?"

Her pulse quickened because _I'm crying_? She hadn't felt the tears biting at the back of her eyes, and she hadn't felt as they began dribbling down her cheek, yet they were there.

"Hey, it's okay. Why don't you go play with your friends for a while? We'll talk to you guys in a bit."

Diana's attention was instantly drawn to Akko, who had come to stand beside the pair and had pulled out her wand. She twirled the tip around in a circle, and the child began rising, just a few inches off the ground, enough to break contact with Diana.

"Promise?" the girl asked, captivated by the magic swirling about her as she presented her pinky finger towards Akko.

Akko giggled, raising the girl a few inches higher, but obliged the request. "Promise." She bent her pinky around the girl's much smaller one, and a smile bloomed across her face, eyes twinkling more fervently than the fireworks of magic that had gone off during the show. Akko plopped her down with a dip of her wand, and she instantly rushed off towards her friends. She made it a few feet before she paused, then backpedaled just as quickly.

She charged directly into Diana and wrapped her little arms around her neck. Although shocked, the blond witch returned the gesture. May remained still for a few seconds before she began squirming. Diana loosened her hold, under the impression that May wanted to go - but the child merely tightened her hold, and she leaned up on her toes.

She drew a shred of confidence from the firm hold Diana had placed on the small of her back and whispered, "You're my idol, Miss Diana."

Diana was granted no time to process the words before the child rushed off, nearly colliding into two of her friends as she came to a screeching halt a few feet away. Once the girl's attention was off the pair, Akko descended to her knees in front of Diana. Her jaw was slack, mouth just barely hanging ajar; and her arms remained held out from the impromptu hug.

Akko let the silence invade the space between them, just long enough for Diana to come to her senses and wipe the tears and confusion from her face; then,

"I inspire you?"

And Diana smothered the desire to groan, burring her face in her hands. A few stray tears dripped from her chin and jaw line-

"I inspire you? I inspire the _amazing_ Diana Cavendish?"

-but her lips still curved up into a smile.

"Yes."

"Aww, Diana! I can't believe it!"

Akko flung her arms around her neck, nearly toppling Diana backwards.

"W-Well, it is the truth."

Her face must have been red. It was far too hot to _not_ be. But Akko giggled, leaning closer to Diana, squishing their very cheeks together in an adamant display of how very little she understood, or respected, the concept of personal space.

"Well you know what, Diana?"

And like that, the flush was gone, now replaced with curiosity.

"What is it?"

And Akko released a content sigh, just as a few kids decided they had waited far too long on the pair and were already scrambling back over to them.

"You inspire me, too."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The idea for spoiling Akko was the whole concept of Diana doing whatever she could to further Akko's dreams and wishes - and if the girl wanted to put on a show, then Diana would do everything in her power to make it a success.

I like to think that at some point soon after, Diana finds herself freaking out because she was told she's some little girl's idol, haha, that might be interesting to write if I ever pick back up this idea!

I hope you have enjoyed reading! :)


	5. Just Breathe

**Author's Note:** This takes place the night of the Vesuvian Eclipse after Diana's failed attempt to become head of the Cavendish family (episode 20).

* * *

 _She was suffocating. Scales dug into her bare skin, and the hissing in her ears and reverberating around the chamber made her blood run cold. The hold tightened around her stomach, and she gasped; but it was a short, choked sound as pain wrung its way in between her ribs. She wanted to scream, whether in pain or fright, she wasn't sure, but the sound was desperately clawing it's way up her throat. A thin, wet tongue glided across her jaw before the rest of the body followed suit, coiling around her neck and stripping air from her lungs._

 _She clawed at her throat, and her fingers were met with the cold body of one of her aunt's snakes. Her nails dug into its flesh, and blood coated her fingers, painted the rims of her nails, but the creature only coiled itself more tightly around her neck. She could vaguely feel the second snake loop around her belly, and it felt as if the beast had dug itself inside her ribs._

 _She couldn't breathe, and her limbs were weighed down by the impression of lead infused within her blood, and just as darkness had compelled her to stop resisting, one of the snakes encroached upon her face. It's jaw opened, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and she began frantically fumbling against her restraints._

 _It bolted, without warning, and a choked sound left her throat as the creature snapped-_

"Diana!"

She jolted upwards, and her hands rushed to her throat. Her lungs were stripped of air, burning and expanding, and her face was wet and sticky.

"Hey, hey, you're okay."

Suddenly there was something around her, but this time it was warm and comforting, and a shuddering breath left her.

"You're okay, Diana. Just breathe."

She was _trying_ , but every exhale was a shudder, and every inhale burned her lungs, as if she hadn't used them in years and the movement had become foreign to her organs, but she was still desperately trying to fill her lungs, which were oh so greedy for air.

Against her better judgement - if she could claim having any at that moment - she returned the embrace, burying her face within a torso. A sob tumbled past her lips, and then another because it had been so long since she had cried, and everything felt pent up and there was no way to rein it all back in. When the snakes had released their hold on her, when she was propelled out of her dream into warm and _human_ arms, everything felt saturated and overwhelmingly heavy, far too heavy to keep bottled up.

"Snakes, they - I-I can't-"

She didn't know where her thoughts were headed, and her voice faltered as a wet sob wrangled its way up her throat.

"They're gone."

Her face was oh so wet, and she could taste salt on her lips, and her face burned where her tears slid across cuts on her cheeks, cuts from the snakes, the very snakes she could venture to find somewhere in this mansion because they were her own aunt's malicious creatures.

They were her own aunt's, but they had suffocated her, stripped oxygen from her lungs and deprived her of it until her eyes rolled back and her vision was blanketed by black. They had left nasty red marks across her neck and ribs, amongst numerous other scale-patterned sections of skin.

It was torturous, to be aware of every second that consciousness was slowly dripping away, for light-headedness to overwhelm the senses and the desperate need for air to cause choking upon spit that she couldn't manage to swallow down.

There was a mess of saliva trailing from her lips to her chin, and each sob tumbled out louder than the last. Her throat burned to the touch, and her ribs screamed in protest against breathing, but her lungs would yell just as viciously if she were to stop. Her knuckles had gone white as they gripped a shirt, and it was strange to have this comfort after a nightmare, a person whose fingers would run up and down her back, who would rest their face on the crown of her head and whisper words of reassurance, even if they were too soft to reach her ears.

Diana tensed as the door to her room flung open, and light invaded the space at a frightening rate.

"Miss Diana!"

It had to be Anna. No one slept as lightly as Anna within the Cavendish Manor, and Diana was a mess of gasps and sobs, so of course she would hear the commotion and come barreling into the room. But the only thing that worried upon Diana's mind was the light, the incriminating light illuminating everything she was so childishly and irresponsibly unable to subdue.

"It's okay, I promise."

Yet her comforter - _Akko,_ she realized suddenly - refused to let her attention wander.

She pulled Diana closer, unworried for the wet patch encroaching upon her stomach. She tucked Diana's head under her free arm.

"Miss Kagari, what are-"

"No more snakes, Diana, really. You're okay."

And the atmosphere shifted, and suddenly Anna felt as if she were intruding upon something secret, something her eyes should not be seeing. Neither of them should have been present, for it completely disregarded every step Diana had taken to remain a figure of complete composure in front of others.

Yet Akko remained.

And Anna found that something deep within the pit of her stomach ached and compelled her out of the room because this was not something Diana would want to be public. This was something to which a child would succumb, with sobs and shaking and gasps - an inherent need for human comfort.

And Diana had discarded that need long ago, thrown it aside along with any semblance of a childhood and righted herself into a proper Cavendish.

"You're okay..."

Akko's voice was low, almost a whisper within the dark. And Anna decided that if the young witch were to speak any louder, her own tears would have been noticeable through her words.

"Come here, Diana..." She lowered herself onto the bed, sitting atop one leg as she collected Diana to herself.

Akko wished Anna would leave. Not because she disliked her. No, she was clearly concerned for Diana; there was nothing to dislike about that. But the light was... uncomfortable. It showed every flaw, and not even Akko was brave enough to face whatever had thrown Diana into this spiral of fear.

"A-Akko, I apol-apologize-"

"Shh, it's okay. I don't mind, Diana." It was still too dark, but Anna thought she saw a small smile on the brunette's face. "All you gotta do is relax, okay? You're okay, Diana."

And Anna shut the door behind her - because despite every bit of her first impression of Akko Kagari telling her she was far too childish and irresponsible and naive, _that_ was certainly not something she had ever expected to see from that girl. Akko was bubbly and easily-excitable and a ruckus and a nuisance and annoying, but... that was caring and kind and calm.

"No, this is... This is highly inappropriate behavior on my part. For a m-mere dream, and-"

"And it's okay to... Well, not be okay. And it's also okay to be scared by a dream."

Akko felt it, as Diana's grip loosened on her shirt, and a wave of tension rolled off her in a sigh, relaxing some of her pent-up muscles in the process. And then her grip went completely lax, and she pulled her hands to her face, wiping at an unsightly mixture of drool and tears.

"I am truly a mess."

And despite the darkness, Akko drew in a thin breath at the sight of Diana. She looked exhausted. Her eyes were bloodshot, but whether from crying or the complete lack of air earlier that night, Akko wasn't sure. Her neck was rubbed raw, the red standing out ghastly against her milky-complexion, and there were darker splotches of bruising. She would only breathe so deeply, otherwise her torso would flare in pain.

And despite the fact that Diana was clearly trying to recollect everything, to re-perfect her mask of perfection and unwavering solidity, she remained curled into herself, eyes fearful.

And Akko's heart clenched at the idea of leaving Diana like this, to simply walk out the bedroom door with a chipper "Goodnight" while Diana struggled to calm her racing heart and still her trembling hands and quell the bundle of fear and anxiety pooling in her gut. So she reached for Diana's hands and pulled them up between the two.

"Can I stay in here tonight?"

Akko could honestly say she was surprised that Diana contemplated it.

"I... suppose I could set something up on the floor." Her eyes jumped around, between their clasped hands and the floor.

She was far more surprised that her request was approved.

"No, no! Your bed's big enough, see? We can both fit. And I'm not that much of a bed hog," Akko reasoned, laughing at the jab at herself. "Is that okay? I mean, I dunno, you probably haven't had a sleepover in... well... years, but it would be fun!"

It would most definitely be fun. Akko could tell Diana was coming around to her (as slow as it happened to be), and she was but a kid at heart, compelled to nurture this new bud of their relationship - perhaps not as rivals, but as friends. And... it would certainly alleviate her worry over Diana's well being. Because despite the mask of indifference and nonchalance Diana was already struggling to re-affix to her face, she, too, was but a kid at heart, one who suffered from less than pleasant dreams and who had the desire to cry - even if more often than not she swallowed that desire down - and who deserved the comfort of one in distress.

"I won't steal all the covers, if you're worried about that."

Diana was intelligent, and despite her lack of first-hand experience in these... more intimate, more _human_ endeavors, she realized Akko was attempting to alleviate the stiff atmosphere and... maybe give to Diana a sense of comfort when she had none - _had had_ none like this, not for years prior.

She was too appreciative of the sentiment to heartily decline; and she... truthfully wanted - far more than she would admit - to not be alone.

So she took the offer Akko was granting her, the rather mature offer, to slip back into her usual self and hide everything under the guise of a sleepover. Diana heaved a light sigh, purposely ignoring the trembling in her breath.

"How would one go about a sleepover?"

And that was all it took for Akko's eyes to light up, to dance even in the dimness of the room as she began pulling at the blankets and pillows to rearrange them for two occupants. "We'll have to have a real sleepover with everyone back at Luna Nova because I think the only thing we'll be doing is sleeping." Akko laughed at her own poor joke, ruffling the blanket out and motioning for Diana to lay down beneath the covers. She joined after Diana was settled, plopping ungracefully atop the mattress and turning to face her friend.

Their knees bumped against one another, and Akko reached once more for Diana's hand, holding them within her own. "If something's not okay, you can wake me up, Diana." And for the first time that night, Akko's eyes dropped, down to their clasped hands in a show of nervousness. "Diana?"

"...Yes?"

A beat of silence passed between them.

"I was... scared when I got in there and saw you unconscious. I thought something _really_ bad must've happened for you to be like that and - All I'm trying to say is, I'm just... glad you're okay. And I know you're, I mean, Diana Cavendish and all, but if I were you... I probably would have nightmares, too. I dunno if that makes much of a difference, but I just wanted you to know that."

The silence that stretched between them grew uncomfortable for the brunette - because who was she to say stuff like that to Diana? She didn't need to be babied, certainly not by the school dunce.

But her anxieties melted and her uncertainties collapsed as Diana tightened her grip on Akko's hands. The blond released a weary sigh, body finally sagging and relaxing.

"That means a lot to me, Akko. More than... I can express."

Akko found herself momentarily frozen because that was a smile that adorned Diana's face, as small and reserved as it was; and it was genuine, curling the corners of her eyes along with the gesture. Akko returned the sentiment, although much larger.

"Goodnight, Diana."

Her words were gentle in comparison to the smile overtaking her features, but they were also warm and kind and... genuinely _caring_ \- something Diana wasn't used to hearing directed at her.

"Goodnight, Akko."

* * *

Akko was, in fact, that bad of a bed hog, for her limbs were sprawled across the bed, one leg meshed between Diana's own and an arm stretched across Diana's chest, fingers dangling loosely over her side.

But Diana felt... warm - not merely because of the extra body heat but because of some sensation she couldn't quite name, something comforting and secure and... and something that presented her the very foreign feeling of longing, of not wanting to lose this, of wishing she had this in the first place.

Akko mumbled something about Shiny Chariot under her breath, a sigh of a giggle escaping her lips as she quieted down once more.

There was a mess of limbs clearly invading Diana's personal space, and she hoped that was not drool on the pillow under Akko's head...

...but she certainly wouldn't be opposed to another sleepover in the near future.


	6. To Feel Whole

**Author's Note:** I had the idea that as a celebration for the anniversary of the missile crisis, maybe Professor Ursula would bring back Shiny Chariot - at least for one night since both Akko and Diana loved her shows so much when they were younger.

* * *

Her mouth is agape in child-like awe, eyes wide and bright, and Akko realizes then, truly realizes, just how similar she and Diana are.

There is a beautiful array of lights swimming above their heads, smaller ones in the shapes of butterflies and fish, bigger ones galloping across the sky as horses and rams, and there is an assortment of countless other creatures, but Akko can't peel her eyes from Diana. And as she glances back to the row directly behind them, Diana still visible in her peripheral, neither can the entirety of the Green Team. To Diana's left, Hannah and Barbara are speechless at the sight of their roommate so utterly decomposed, so unreserved, so... _happy_. Akko is sure that if she were to look behind her, Sucy and Lotte would appear the same. But she can't pull her eyes from Diana any longer than she already has.

And it comes as a shock when Diana's hand suddenly grabs for her arm, shaking it to get her attention.

"Akko, look."

Her words are merely a breath, and Diana can't bear to look away from the sight above her, at the pink silhouette of a unicorn trotting above her head. It rises to its hind legs, before dropping lower into the crowd, trotting around the heads of kids and slowing just long enough for their small hands to glide across its mane.

But then it trots up to Diana and stops, and the awe in the blond witch's eyes is palpable. She reaches towards the amalgamation of light and magic and sets her fingers beneath its chin; and as the beast remains still, she runs her fingers across the hardened pink smoke.

"Diana...?"

Hannah cautiously mumbles her name to the left, but Diana is transfixed by the creature in front of her. She cannot recall the last time she had been so close to magic like this, to magic so childish and pure. She buries the sting in her heart, the knowledge that her mother was alive the last time she had seen a show like this, because the horse turns sideways, as if to take off; and she just manages to graze her fingers across its mane as it shoots above their heads to join the other collections of light.

It all comes to an end in an instant as the creatures mold into one ball of light, shrinking closer and closer, before exploding like a single firework. Specks of light drip down across the sky and dissolve before the crowd's eyes. The residual sparks drop into the crowd, and Diana reaches out, palms upward to catch a piece as it descends. It shines in her hand, and her attention is transfixed on it, until it begins dissipating before her eyes into nothing.

When there is not a shred of light left within her palm, Diana returns her attention to the stage, where Shiny Chariot stands, waving her wand and casting another spell, one that fills the sky with shooting stars, and a second that produces a puff of smoke. As the stars recede and the smoke shrinks away, a statement is left, molded from energy particles and light: "A Believing Heart is Your Magic."

To her right, Akko suddenly enwraps her in an embrace, pulling her tight.

"To think, none of this would have been possible without you two," Hannah states, although her voice is hushed, as if in awe of the idea alone.

"Hey, we helped out, too, y'know!" Amanda butts in, leaning over the seat.

"Well, duh, but you have to admit Diana and Akko did the most important part. They revived magic!"

"If that it the case, I believe Akko was the most critical asset to the whole endeavor," Diana chimes in, although her attention is still pulled by the remnants of magic decorating the sky. Her voice sounds far away, but she is roughly jerked whole-heartedly into the conversation by Akko's loud voice.

"Whaat!? No way, Diana! I wouldn't have been able to do it without you!"

"Well, no, and certainly not without everyone else; but you had the most vital role. I believe we can all agree upon that."

Akko stares at her, aghast, jaw unhinged before she begins spouting a rejection. "Most definitely not! You fired the Shiny Arc _with_ me! _Both_ of us, not just me!" She yanks and pulls at Diana's arm for emphasis, but it does little to enforce her point when Diana merely laughs, dragging her free hand up to her mouth to mute the sound.

"While I cannot dispute that I did fire it with you, Akko, you were the sole wielder of the Shiny Rod."

And despite the chant of another spell rising from the stage and a stream of magic dotting the sky above them in cotton-candy colors, Akko diverts her attention to the ground. Diana finds herself drawn to her, suddenly aware that something has gone amiss; and the balloons of magic bursting above their heads are the farthest things from her mind.

But then Akko is pulling and tugging at her hands, drawing her closer.

"Diana, I couldn't have done it without you." She's smiling. Akko is naturally prone to smiling, but the upturn of her lips is so soft, so kind and gentle that Diana feels she is back atop the Shooting Star, sharing the same sentiment, the same warm smile with Akko as they ready the bow together. "I'm glad I got to fire it with you, too."

There's a ringing in Diana's ears. Her hands have gone numb, despite the overbearing warmth of Akko's own hands having been present just a second prior. They are still clasped between the brunette's own, but the feeling is gone.

Her heart had never felt so in-sync, so completely in-tune with another individual prior to that moment among the stars; and at one point, she thought she might suffocate over the sensation of her heart pounding twice as fervently, twice as sharply as before.

It was like two people trying to coexist within the same space. The _exact_ same space, the exact same spot in the universe.

"Is there somethin' wrong with Cavendish?"

"Shh, leave her be, Amanda!"

Diana blinks at her name, and there are tears rimming her eyes, but she doesn't know why.

"You felt it, too, didn't you?" Akko asks, delicately, attention unwavering from the blond witch.

Her smile remains, just as gentle and calming as before - which was strange on its own because those were definitely not normal characteristics of Akko, but she had already exhibited them once, high above the clouds with her hand nestled between the Shiny Rod and Diana's palm.

"I don't know what it was, but I know we were meant to fire it together. When we went to shoot it, it was like... I felt whole." Her hands clench in a rare show of nervousness. She hopes Diana understands; she hopes Diana had felt it, too. "Does that make any sense?"

Diana draws in a breath, but it's shaky, and she's glad for Akko's hands because her own are shaking, and she's not certain why. Maybe it's because the concept of performing magic with another is so foreign to her, at least such exuberant, showy magic, that she had never felt any semblance of whole prior to that night. Or maybe it's fear, that she couldn't be whole on her own, that she had to rely on another to create such wonderful magic.

But the latter sounds false - because despite that very true realization, the warmth and serenity, the calm that had filled the un-whole pieces of herself that day had been an otherworldly bliss.

And despite the confusion of thoughts banging around her mind, Diana does know, for certain, that Akko's statement is the truest description of that sensation she has managed to piece together yet.

"It makes perfect sense."

A firework of magic goes off above their heads, filling the sky in pinks and blues, purples and greens, but Akko and Diana's ears are suddenly barraged by a cacophony of questions, of exclamations of surprise and demands for an elaboration.

But the two witches can offer little, filled with a deep-rooted inability to relate in words alone the sensation of feeling complete. Amanda mutters under her breath, something about being "able to do it just as well as Cavendish," as the group relents.

But Akko looks up at Diana, her own mind buzzing from the high of just knowing she hadn't been the only one to feel like that.

"I hope we can do that again, Diana."

The Shiny Rod is gone. The threat of a missile is gone. And Akko does not simply want to perform such exuberant magic again - no, she wants to feel whole. She wants to cast magic with the girl who believes in her believing heart, with the girl who accompanied her above the clouds and among the star.

She most importantly, and most plainly, wishes to cast magic with _Diana_.

"I hope so, as well, Akko."


	7. Five Minutes Til Curfew

Diana mumbled in her sleep. Maybe it was just because she was more tired than usual but Akko found it surprising, regardless. That, and how utterly unrefined she looked now. Her head rested atop one arm, while the other was spread across an open textbook. One of her legs was stretched to its full length under the table, and the other was curled under her chair, toes resting on the rungs.

Something wispy passed her lips, and her head nodded forward, attempting to find a more stable resting place, before sharply returning to its original position.

Akko secretly hoped someone else had seen Diana. Knowing her, she would drown in the embarrassment - silently, of course. She wasn't like Akko, all red-faced and a bundle of stuttering at her embarrassment. But Diana had fallen asleep in a public space. That was practically _asking_ for people to see her. Then there was the oh so incriminating fact that she talked in her sleep. Akko could have sworn she heard 'Shiny Chariot' pass her lips, but most of it was unintelligible gibberish. _Gibberish!_ From _Diana_. She had never seen Diana look so... un-Diana. Her hair was a bit frazzled, particularly the areas on which she laid, and her pages of notes were getting crumpled beneath her sleeping form and - was that drool?

...

No, it wasn't; Akko had gotten her hopes up for nothing.

...

That was definitely drool, and it was definitely wetting Diana's very pristine notes and the cover of some old tome.

But regardless, she plopped into the seat in front of Diana, dragging one of the many books surrounding the young witch to herself. Of course with her luck, her first pickings would be in a completely different language, one only Diana could read.

"Profess... Finnelan, what is... is..." Diana mumbled, and her hand clenched around air. Upon finding purchase on nothing, she released a sigh.

"Wow, Diana, you don't know something?" Akko replied, laughing at the blond. Her eyes scanned the page, picking up small markings in the margins of word clarifications and portions directly translated to English. Diana's handwriting was so small and fine and perfect, but Akko hadn't the foggiest idea why Diana would need to read this old, foreign junk.

She reached for another book and flipped it open to a page that Diana had marked with a yellow sticky note. "What does the Battle of Maleficis have to do with learning magic?" Akko offhandedly questioned, squinting at the words on the page.

"Roman... Holy Empire... mmm..."

Akko giggled at Diana's failed attempt at a reply. "Diana, you're making less sense than this dusty old book-" She pointed to the first book, the one in some old, unintelligible language. "-and I can't even _read_ this one."

"Miss Kagari, I suggest you keep it down."

A chill ran down her spine. Words bubbled up to her mouth, prepared to spill over regardless of whether or not they made sense because she had done _nothing_ wrong... at least that she could remember.

But she found them stuck in the back of her throat at Professor Finnelan, who carried a small bundle of fabric in her arms, which Akko quickly realized was a blanket. The older witch spread the material out before stepping around the table and wrapping it around Diana's shoulders. And despite the fear coursing through Akko's veins that she _had_ to have done something wrong - that was why Professor Finnelan was here - her own expression softened.

"Curfew is in five minutes."

Why wasn't she waking Diana? Why was Diana allowed to be out past curfew? The questions were on the tip of Akko's tongue, but they died as Diana produced another stream of utter babble.

Professor Finnelan stilled her hands at the sound, nimble fingers halting their adjustment of the blanket. She retracted one hand and rested it atop Diana's head, and a soft, gentle expression flittered across her face, one that was just as foreign to Akko as that old, dusty book Diana had been reading.

"However, I will withhold punishment if you desire to watch over your fellow student."

Akko furrowed her brows, and a question formed on the tip of her tongue - Had Diana fallen asleep like this before? Had Professor Finnelan found her like this before? But she wasn't sure if she wanted to test her luck. Anything she wished to voice died, anyhow, as Finnelan ran her fingers gently through Diana's hair, pulling loose strands away from the blond witch's face.

Diana pulled the blanket closer, pen dropping lightly from her hand in exchange for the corner of the soft material before letting out a soft sigh of content. "Akko... Ugmm... be care...ful..."

Well _that_ certainly wasn't unintelligible, and Akko could feel her cheeks grow warm. She wasn't that bad at staying out of trouble... Was she?

"Miss Kagari."

The witch in question jumped, eyes darting up to her professor.

"Y-Yes?"

"I will see you in class on Monday. Please avoid making a ruckus when you return to your dorm tonight."

Akko could have sworn the beginnings of a smile tugged at Professor Finnelan's mouth as the older witch turned on her heels, swiftly being lost between the mountain of bookshelves as she departed. Just as her attention returned to the sleeping witch, she shifted in her sleep, and a few more words tumbled lazily from her lips.

"Sh... Shiny... Arc..."

Akko sputtered, and hands hastily grasped to cover her mouth.

She changed her mind. She hoped no one else had seen Diana. She was torn on whether it was because the tired witch deserved the decency or because she totally wanted to be the only one to know about _these_ spilled contents of her dream.

...

She silently tugged a different book in front of her and opened it to where Diana had placed a few pages of her notes. These were taken just yesterday, in the Magical Potions class they shared together. She read the first paragraph, then the second. The notes were so detailed, it was almost as if she were listening to the lecture all over again.

Akko stifled a bundle of laughter as Diana mumbled under her breath, something or another about ingredients for a potion. It seemed that her overt studying habits were ever-prevalent even within her dreams. With a certain delicacy that Akko didn't often exhibit, she slid the book away from herself and lowered her head atop her folded arms and just...watched.

She wondered how late Diana had stayed up studying before slumber finally slid her eyelids closed, how late she stayed up on a normal night, when she pushed past the desire to succumb to sleep.

...

How much studying she did beyond the normal student workload.

Akko sighed, exhausted just _thinking_ about all the work. It was a wonder how Diana managed to grab the sleep she _did_ get.

She decided, Diana deserved the rest - uninterrupted.

Regardless if the next words out of her mouth were more incriminating evidence for her love of Shiny Chariot. Perhaps if she didn't work so hard, such embarrassing things wouldn't tumble from her lips - but that was okay.

It was a secret Akko would be happy to keep.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I apologize that this chapter is so short! I tried to add more (because I certainly had more ideas), but I felt that it ruined the work. I have a bunch of WIPs, and there is another that may be a multi-chapter fic; but I have a busy, busy two weeks coming up, so I know writing will be limited. Anyway, it was a blast participating this week! Thank you so incredibly much to everyone who has left me such amazingly sweet and kinds comments. I truly appreciate them all, and if I have not replied to a comment yet, I will do so by tomorrow. I hope you all have enjoyed reading just as much as I have enjoyed writing. :)


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